Vodka
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: Noel discovers alcohol. NoelxYeul. Slight crack. Threeshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Vodka**

It was a regular day, or as regular as it can get when you're living at the end of the world, where the sky was blocked out by some massive fal'cie machine-thing and whose inhabitants kept dying every day.

Noel stretched his sore muscles as he finished turning over the dirt on a new grave. Well, another one to kick the bucket. How many people were left in the world now? 10? 15? What number had this guy been again?

Well, either way, he finally finished. May as well find Caius and let him know that another one was buried six feet under. Noel frowned. Come to think of it, where was the older guardian? He hadn't seen him the entire day. Then again, he always seemed to be disappearing when least expected.

Entering the village, Noel ran into the one person who could make any day shine brighter.

"Hi Noel," Yeul greeted with a smile.

"Hey yourself."

"Back already?"

"Sure. Doesn't take that long to bury someone. Kind of depressing he had to die though."

"Who was it this time?"

"Old man Tao. He was pretty old, but still…"

"That's sad. I liked him."

Noel nodded. "Say, Yeul, you haven't seen Caius anywhere, have you?"

The teen shook her head. "No, not since last night. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just wanted to let him know about the burial, that's all."

"He should be back by evening."

"Evening huh? Do you know where he went?"

"Probably to get something to drink."

"Drink?" The brunet asked confusedly. "But we have plenty of water here. Why would he have to travel?"

The seeress shrugged. "Caius does not inform me the details of his affairs. He only says that he needs something stronger than water."

Noel placed his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. "And just what could be stronger than water?"

"I don't know. But sometimes at night I see him drinking out of a glass bottle. Whatever it is seems to have a strong effect on him, as often I'll hear him mumbling to himself, sometimes saying my name."

Now the brunet was _definitely_ curious. What could his mentor be drinking that would cause him to become delirious? And why would he even drink something like that in the first place?

"Can you show me, Yeul?"

The seeress hesitated. "I'm not sure that's a good idea…"

"But this could be important! C'mon, Yeul," the teen cajoled. "I'm really curious, and besides, don't you want to know what he's drinking that's making him act weird?"

"Well…"

"Please?" Noel looked at her with pleading blue eyes.

"Okay, follow me."

"Alright! You're the best, Yeul!"

The seeress smiled as she led the way to where Caius's home stood at the edge of the village.

"It's over here," she said, as they walked around to the backyard, pointing to two doors buried in the ground, complete with a padlock holding them shut.

"Okay, get behind me, Yeul," Noel instructed, as he removed his flame sword. "I'm gonna break the lock open, and I don't know if any surprises are gonna pop out."

The thirteen-year-old girl did as instructed, as with a battle cry the brunet cut the lock clean into two metal pieces. A few tense seconds passed, as they waited to see if they triggered some sort of trap, but when nothing happened, Noel stepped forward, grasping one of the handles. He looked back toward the girl behind him, giving a nod, before pulling the door open.

After a minute or two of nothing particularly dramatic occurring (aside from the wind rustling some leaves), Noel sheathed his sword, scratching his head.

"Well, whatever Caius is hiding in here, he sure didn't bother protecting it much." He turned towards the younger girl with a grin. "Ready to do some exploring?"

Yeul returned the smile as she accepted the hand he held out to her. "Sure."

They made their way down the stone steps, the inside lighting up as they went along.

"Huh, this place looks well-taken care of," Noel muttered, raising a brow at how neat and clean it looked.

"Look over there," Yeul pointed to the rows upon rows of glass bottles, all artfully arranged on shelves carved into the walls themselves.

The brunet's mouth fell open as his eyes took in the sight, completely amazed. After a few minutes he remembered to shut it, as he gave his head a little shake.

"Wow! Who would've thought Caius had something like this hiding in his cellar!" He walked over to the nearest shelf, carefully extracting a large glass bottle, and perusing the label. "Valhalla-grade premium vodka. Aged one thousand years."

He scratched his head. "Well, this stuff's pretty old."

"Take a look at this one. I think it is called bourbon. Made in three AF." Yeul held out the bottle filled with amber liquid for the brunet to take a closer look at.

"Hm…" Noel took the cover off the bottle of vodka, giving it a sniff. Immediately he drew back from the sharp odor. "Ugh, this stuff smells awful. Like alcohol, mixed with something else."

"What about this one?" The blue-haired teen pulled off the cork, holding it out for him to take a whiff.

Noel grimaced. "Still bad." He looked down at the vodka in his hand. "You sure Caius drinks this stuff?"

Yeul nodded. "Yes, pretty often. Sometimes he will finish two or three bottles in one night."

Noel's eyes widened in surprise. "Two or three bottles? Man, I can't even imagine drinking one!" He turned the bottle over in his hands, parsing the characters on the label, as though hoping they would divulge their secret to him, but no matter how hard he looked, it remained hidden.

"Okay, it's settled then. I'm going to drink some of this stuff, and see why it's so important to Caius!"

Yeul looked up at him. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Hey, if Caius can stomach this and still be okay, then I'm sure I'll be fine," Noel reassured her.

Yeul seemed doubtful, but didn't stop him as he lifted the bottle to his lips.

"Alright, here I go!"

Taking a huge gulp, Noel struggled to swallow, coughing and spluttering as the alcohol burned his throat, causing his eyes to tear up. He just barely managed to get it down, bending over as he felt it burn a path down his esophagus.

"Are you okay?" Yeul hurried to his side, as the sixteen year old tried to catch his breath.

"Y-Yeah!" He gasped, wiping at his streaming eyes. "S-Sorry, I-it was just a lot stronger than I expected!"

He cleared his throat once more, but the burning sensation remained. Sitting down, he lifted the bottle once more and he took another swig, trying to ignore the way it set his mouth and throat on fire, forcing himself to swallow and not cough.

By his fourth drought, Noel began to feel warm, very warm. Not only that, but he started to feel amazing. No, not just amazing, positively carefree!

It was as if the weight of the world had lifted off his shoulders, leaving behind this feeling of utmost serenity and euphoria.

"Hey Yeul, I think…I think I finally get what this stuff does." He took another swig, a smile spreading over his features at the warmth that pooled in his stomach with every swallow, the burning no longer bothering him. In fact, it was welcome now.

He stared up at the ceiling and gave a light-hearted laugh.

"Noel?" Yeul peered at his features in concern, never having seen her friend so calm and relaxed.

"Yeul!" The sixteen year old turned to look at her, a tender warmth in his blue eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel…I feel amazing! This stuff is incredible! Yeul, you have to try this!"

The seeress shook her head. "No, I think it is better if one of us stays sober."

"Suit yourself," the brunet stood up, holding the bottle reverently in his hands. "But I know what I have to do now."

The blue-haired girl tilted her head to the side. "What is that?"

"We have to take this stuff back with us to the village; we have to share it with the world!"

"Noel, I think—"

"We have to move quickly! This gift, if we keep it only for ourselves, would be selfish and cruel! There's no telling how much we could benefit mankind if we were to let them taste this…" he squinted at the characters on the label. "This vodka!"

"Wait, Noel!" Yeul grabbed his arm before he could take another step. "We can't show this to anyone! It doesn't belong to us, remember? It belongs to Caius!"

Noel turned to face the younger girl, placing his hands on her shoulders as though to brace her. "I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you this, Yeul, but Caius…he's an evil, selfish, malevolent person! He cares only about himself, and no one else!"

"That is not true, and you know that," The seeress replied calmly, unfazed by his words.

"It is true!" Noel turned away in angst. "If he really cared, then he would have shared this blessing with everyone! Instead, all he did was hide it away, so that only he could ever enjoy it! Yeul, don't you see? All this time he's been depriving us, depriving us of what we need so badly in our lives!" He held up the bottle dramatically so that it caught the light, the howling wind resembling a chorus of singing angels.

"Vodka…" he whispered in awe.

"….."

Yeul wasn't sure what to make of the brunet, as he began to worship the bottle of alcohol. Even Caius had never gotten this pathetic even after two or three bottles.

"Noel, I think you are starting to become influenced by what you're drinking," the seeress said, as gently as she could.

The brunet gasped, eyes widening as though the teen had just said something blasphemous. Yeul held her gaze steady as she continued.

"The alcohol in the vodka seems to be affecting you very strongly, and causing you to behave…not like yourself. It is better if we leave, so you do not become even more subjective to it."

"But Yeul!" Noel cried, as he clutched the alcohol protectively to his chest. "This is the only thing that actually brings joy to my soul! I-I can't—I'll _die_ without it!"

"…"

Noel stood up straighter, holding onto one of the shelves to steady himself. "You know what you need, Yeul? You need to try this stuff. Once you do, you'll see how amazing it is, and then you'll understand why we need this in our lives!"

The seeress was silent as she gazed at the bottle the older teen was holding out to her. Slowly she reached out a hand to take it, as Noel smiled encouragingly at her.

"Go on, take a drink of it. The first sip might be hard, but don't think about it, just swallow."

She looked from the vodka in her hands, to Noel, before turning it over and letting its contents spill to the floor.

"NO!" The brunet screamed in horror, as he watched the precious liquid form a puddle on the fast-absorbing stone. He dropped to his knees, quickly trying to sip up whatever he could.

"Noel, stop it!" Yeul exclaimed, as she attempted to pull him up by the shoulders and keep him from licking the floor.

"No, my vodka!" Noel cried in agony. "Why Yeul, why did you do it? !"

"If I hadn't done that, you would have continued drinking. Please Noel, let's leave. I hate seeing you acting so strange."

"I feel fine, and I'm acting perfectly like myself!" The brunet stood up, throwing a glare at the younger teen. "And if you think doing that would keep me away from my vodka, then you're wrong."

He walked over to the shelf where he'd gotten the first bottle of alcohol from, and removed another three bottles.

"Noel—"

"I'm going to share this with the world. If you want to join me, then fine. If not, then I'll do it myself."

With that, the older teen shot past her and out of the cellar, into the open night air.

"Wait, Noel!" Yeul tried to follow after him, but he was too fast. Not to mention, her limp made it nearly impossible for her to run at a normal pace. She sighed as she sat down on the grass near the entrance to the cellar. If only her visions had showed her this would happen. Instead, all she saw were events that would occur years in the future, nothing particularly useful for her situation right now.

And now, Noel was running around with three bottles of alcohol, fully intoxicated. There was no telling what he would do…and Caius still hadn't come back yet either. Yeul paused for a moment. Caius. These bottles of alcohol belonged to her immortal guardian. What would he do if he found out that they'd broken into his cellar? More so, what would he do when he found out that Noel was running around drunk on three bottles of this stuff?

The seeress frowned. "He wouldn't hurt me, but he would definitely kill Noel."

This was bad. She had better find the brunet, and fast, before Caius got back and everything went straight to hell in a handbasket.

* * *

a/n:

Okay, so I won't lie, this was partially inspired by the ffxiiitxtsfromlastnight blog on tumblr.

This will be a three-shot.

I don't think there

would be a huge selection of drinks in Noel's world, hence why he and Yeul don't really know what vodka is, though they do figurs it out pretty quickly...

I always imagined Caius would have the motherload of alcohol in his cellar, considering he had to have SOME way of dealing with Yeul's death for the last thousands of years.

And I kinda imagined Noel would be a happy drunk, considering he's an optimist, for the most part.

um...so yeah, review please? I should have the next chapters up pretty soon. also, today is kinda my birthday, so a review would be a really nice present. but, you know, you could just ignore that you read that part and close the browser and lose the opportunity to make someone feel really great today...


	2. Chapter 2

Noel had never felt so happy or free in his life. He was as light as a feather, soaring on wings, floating on air—

"—Ooof!" The brunet fell backwards as he crashed into a boulder.

"Ah, hahahaha, sorry Mr…." he squinted at the thing he crashed into, his vision still spinning to tell anything very clearly. "Well, I don't know who you are, but here, would you like some vodka as an apology gift?"

The boulder silently declined his offer.

"No? Well, okay then! Guess I'll drink for the both of us!"

He tipped his head back, taking a long drought from the half-empty bottle. "Ahhhh….this stuff is exactly what we need in a place like this. It's better than cold ice on a hot summer's day! Sure you don't want some?"

The boulder respectfully declined yet again.

"Okay, suit yourself!" Noel shrugged as he stood up. "I'll just be on my way then."

He gave a salute as he walked off, blissfully unaware of anything that might be hindering his path. So when he bumped into a hungry monster that seemed to have found its supper, he still remained optimistic.

"Hello there, friendly creature!" Noel petted the-whatever it was-on the head. He didn't think it was large enough to be a behemoth, but it certainly was too small to be a chocobo. It was hard to identify in the dark.

The monster, it seemed, was utterly confused as to why in the hell this puny human wasn't running for his life. It decided to give him a head start by roaring threateningly in his face.

"Whoa, you sure have a strong pair of lungs!" Noel cheerfully complimented. The alcohol running through his veins was making him feel invincible. A small little monster like this could never hurt him. "Here, because I like you, I'll give you some of this!"

He took one of the bottles of vodka he had placed inside his belt (he'd already finished off the bottle he'd offered to the stone), and proudly emptied it into the monsters mouth.

For a couple of minutes, the monster seemed to snarl and snort in pain, before the alcohol took effect and it became as docile as a lamb.

"Atta boy! See? All we need in life is some one hundred percent premium, Valhalla grade vodka to make all our troubles go away. And love. And hakuna matata. Whatever the hell that is."

The monster nuzzled the hunter's side as Noel pet it, when on any regular day they would both be trying to slaughter each other. Truly, alcohol managed to bring the unlikeliest of foes together.

"Well, now that my work here is done, I'm going to see who else I can spread the message of hope and love to."

The monster roared in approval.

With that, Noel was off, as the monster watched in vodka-induced awe, before it collapsed and died from alcohol poisoning.

The brunet jumped into the air, feeling empowered and omniscient. He leapt from boulder to boulder; a song waiting to burst out of him any second. Something with the words 'never smile at a crocodile' and 'you can fly'. Strange, he'd never before heard of the songs now running inside his head.

For a moment he could've sworn he saw a pixie in a short green dress and glowing wings flying through his field of vision. But a moment later he dismissed it as nothing.

Then up ahead, he saw a boy dressed in green with a matching hat running along. He stopped right in front of him.

"Hey, have you seen my shadow?"

Noel shook his head. "Nope. But I have some vodka, wanna try?"

"Nah, I'm underage. See ya later!"

"See ya."

He continued along, thinking that he'd never seen anyone so strange looking before, when something small and green flitted into his field of vision. It stopped right in front of him.

"Hi! I'm Cosmo!"

"Noel Kreiss. Uh…what are you?"

"I'm a fairy!"

"Really?" the brunet blinked in surprise. "I thought those only exist in fairy tales."

"Oh yeah? Well does this place look like a fairy tale land?"

"Fair enough. Hey, can you grant me a wish?"

"Sure! But only if you don't tell anyone. I'm not really supposed to grant anyone wishes except for Timmy, and if Wanda finds out she'll be mad."

"Okay. Huh, now I have to think of what to wish for."

"How about to save humanity?"

"Nah. I'm good on that."

"Change the future?"

"Don't need to. I'm happy with my future."

"Make the sun shine?"

"No, I think the sun will just hurt my eyes."

"What about to fill the land with flowing water and bright green trees and a garden full of different plants and vegetables that are laden with nutrients and other good things that will keep you healthy and vibrant for all the days of your life?"

Noel looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh! I got it! How about another bottle of vodka?"

"More alcohol? Why didn't I think of that!"

The fairy waved his wand and another bottle appeared in Noel's belt.

Noel looked up, beaming. "Thanks Cosmo! Hey, you want to try some?"

"Sure! Maybe we can get intoxicated together and run around doing crazy things!"

"That sounds like an awesome idea! You're a genius!"

Just as the two were about to go through with their brilliant plan, they heard a shrill voice calling the fairy's name.

"Cosmo? Cosmo where are you? Where did you run off to?!"

"Oh no! That's Wanda! If she finds out that I've been trying to get drunk again, she'll kill me!"

"Girl problems, huh?" Noel commiserated.

The fairy nodded his head. "I have to run before Wanda comes by. Don't tell her that I was here, okay?"

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!"

With a poof, Cosmo disappeared. A few moments later a fairy with pink hair appeared.

"Hey, have you seen someone around my size with green hair?"

"Nope," the brunet responded.

The fairy let out a huff as she grumbled things under her breath, disappearing with a poof.

"Weird, I'm seeing all these strange people who I've never met before," Noel muttered to himself. "But at least I got another bottle of vodka!"

Just then a baboon passing by stopped in front of him.

"Are you Kovu?"

"No, I'm Noel. Want some vodka?"

"Sure!"

The simian took a grateful swig, letting out a sigh of happiness. "Now that's good stuff! Just what I needed. All this running around, trying to spread love is hard work!"

"Tell me about it," Noel nodded in agreement.

"Rafiki, by the way."

"Noel Kreiss."

"Somehow I get the feeling we've met already."

The brunet shrugged.

"Ah well, maybe it was in another lifetime."

"Maybe."

The baboon waved goodbye and was off. Noel took another drought from the bottle, only to find it was empty.

"What the *****! That bloody monkey drank up all my vodka!"

* * *

Yeul walked along, searching for the missing hunter, as she tried to figure out where he could possibly be. Earlier she'd heard the roaring of an adamantoise, and she feared that something had happened between it and Noel.

Now, as she walked through the barren land, it was strangely quiet. She kept her ears open and her eyes peeled for any sign of danger, her senses on high alert. She knew some magic, so she could probably defend herself enough to get away from anything that threatened her, but she hoped she wouldn't have to resort to that. All she really wanted to do was find the brunet, and get back to the village.

She reached a clearing and gasped, stopping in shock. On the ground lay what she assumed was the creature from earlier. As she watched, she realized it was dead.

"Did Noel kill it?" She wondered, as she approached. One of her boots hit something, and she turned to see an empty bottle, no doubt once filled with vodka. "But there's no mark or any blood. How did he kill it?"

She picked up the bottle, reading through the label again, and found written in the right-hand corner, in easy-to-miss print were the words '200% proof alcohol'. She quickly put two and two together, and realized that she had to find Noel, and fast. If not, then he might just end up like the monster on the ground.

"Noel?" She tried calling out, once she was a good distance away from the dead carcass. There was no answer, and she was starting to get really worried. What if he had just collapsed somewhere? Or worse, what if Caius returned and found him first?

She continued walking, calling his name, but without any response. Further along, she found another discarded bottle, which both comforted and worried her. So it was with great relief that she finally found him at the edge of the village, seemingly staring up at something in the sky.

"Noel?" She hurried to his side.

The brunet turned around in surprise. "Yeul?"

He took a step towards her, but was struck by a wave of vertigo and lost his balance. Luckily the seeress caught him before he fell. It was a good thing Noel hadn't yet reached his full height, or that would have ended up throwing the younger teen off-balance.

"Hey, Yeul," he said quietly, as he held onto her. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

The brunet pulled away from her, as he pushed back some strands of hair behind her left ear. "You have really pretty green eyes."

The seeress was taken aback, as the teen continued. "And your smile…it always makes me happy."

"Noel…"

For a moment the sixteen-year-old just stared at her, grinning charmingly, and Yeul held her breath at the sight of it. She wasn't sure what to say, feeling the air warm up between them as the seconds stretched by.

"Noel, let's go home," she finally spoke, letting the air out of her lungs slowly.

The brunet shook his head, his hands gripping her shoulders. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I…I'm having visions, Yeul."

"Visions?"

The older teen pulled away, looking all around them. "I'm seeing all these people I've never met before. I…" he looked her straight in the eyes and leaned in so he could whisper.

"I see dead people."

"…."

"They're everywhere, Yeul! I know it can't be visions like the ones you have, but they're everywhere! People I've never met before! Talking monkeys and fairies and people chasing shadows!"

"…."

"Don't you believe me?"

The seeress took in his red shot eyes and pale complexion. She had a feeling she knew what was causing his 'visions'.

"I believe what you are seeing are hallucinations brought on by the huge quantities of vodka that you drank, Noel." She said slowly.

"Hallucinations? Tch." Noel removed his hands from her, walking a few unsteady paces away. He turned around to face her, lifting his hand to point. "There's a pink elephant standing right next to you. That's not a hallucination!"

Yeul shook her head. "Noel, you are seeing things that aren't really there. They are all figments of your imagination."

"Oh yeah?" Noel asked cockily, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "And is the Caius standing right behind me looking like someone just peed into his favorite bottle of vodka _also_ a figment of my imagination?"

"No, _he_ is real," the seeress replied calmly.

"Yes, and he's waiting to hear a good explanation as to what in all the seven levels of hell is going on, before he destroys you," the older man said in a tempered voice.

"Oh sh—" Noel swore as he quickly stumbled away from the livid Caius. The guardian advanced towards him, gripping the handle of his sword.

"You'll never take me alive!" The teen cried out, clutching the last bottle of vodka in his hand before running away as fast as he could.

"No, I don't think I will," Caius agreed, jumping up and taking a swipe at the brunet.

A few strands of fine brown hair fell to the ground where Noel's head had been only a few moments ago. The sixteen year old stared from the severed hairs, to the weapon that had given him his impromptu haircut.

He let out a terrified scream before running pell-mell towards the village.

The older man was about to give chase, when Yeul's voice stopped him.

"Caius, wait. I can explain what happened."

The guardian struggled a moment with his decision, but finally staked his sword in the ground, turning towards the seeress.

"I can always kill him later, I suppose," he muttered to himself.

Yeul began to narrate what had transpired only a few hours earlier, making sure to leave out important details like the fact that Noel had been the one to insist she take him to the cellar, and that he had also wanted to try the vodka. Caius's face steadily darkened as he listened to her story.

"Are you telling me that he drank _four_ bottles of my best vodka?" The guardian seethed.

The seeress nodded. "It was not his fault, however. I was the one to lead him to the cellar, and also the one to insist that he try it, because I wanted to know what it does. Once he started drinking though, he could not stop, as the alcohol made him feel so calm and content. I am sorry Caius; I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me."

"Yeul…" the older man gave a sigh. Though something about the story sounded suspicious to him, he didn't press the seeress. Privately he knew it was really all Noel's fault, but if Yeul was going to such a length to protect him, then he would follow along. "Next time you are curious, just ask me. I promise I will give you an explanation to the best of my ability."

The young teen nodded her head, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. She was sure Caius hadn't bought her story for a minute, but at least she knew the brunet wasn't going to die a sudden death any time soon.

And speaking of death…her eyes went wide as she remembered the carcass of the monster she had come across.

"Caius, can drinking too much vodka kill a person?"

The older man raised a brow at her question. "There is a possibility of dying from alcohol poisoning. Though, because I am immortal, I have no such worries. Why do you ask?"

"When I went looking for Noel, I came across a dead adamantoise. It looked like he had given it alcohol to drink, and that's what caused it to die."

"Yes, that's entirely plausible. How many bottles of vodka did you say Noel drank?"

"At least two or three."

Caius paled. "Then we'd better hurry and find him!"

* * *

a/n:

ahhh crap, i just realized that i uploaded the wrong version of this chapter. here's the right one, sorry about that folks :(

so, to repeat what was said in my previous note, the characters that made an appearance here are either characters that Noel's VA, Jason Marsden actually voiced (like Peter Pan) or from show related characters (like Cosmo). Btw, thanks to Natalis Orbis who first told me that Noel's VA did Chester's voice from Fairly Odd Parents XD

also, the "pink elephant" thing, apparently, if you get drunk enough, you see a pink elephant XD i never experienced this, so i have no idea, but that's what people have told me.

anyway, last chapter is almost ready to go. please review and let me know what you thought of this one though, especially since this is a revised edition. i would really appreciate your thoughts on whether you found this funny, or just completely ooc, or just so unrealistic i should stop writing...

-Téa


	3. Chapter 3

By the time they located the brunet, he was passed out on the ground, clutching an empty bottle in his hand. Yeul ran over to him, calling his name. Caius shook his head, looking disgusted as he bent down, hefting the teen up and throwing him over his shoulder.

"Will he be okay?" Yeul asked, as she followed after him towards Noel's house.

"He's still breathing," was all Caius answered.

Once they reached the teen's home, the older man laid him down none-too-gently on his futon. He then walked into Noel's kitchen, where Yeul could hear him opening cabinets and moving things aside. She ignored this as she set about making the brunet more comfortable by removing the swords strapped to his back, and taking off his shoes. She was just covering him with a blanket when Caius walked back inside.

"Does he have a fever?" He asked the teen.

Yeul pressed her hand onto his forehead. "Yes, he's very warm, and sweating."

Muttering some things under his breath, Caius cast a healing spell on the teen. He then instructed the seeress to fill a pitcher of water, as he bent down next to the brunet.

When Yeul came back, Caius was casting a second healing spell. She watched in silence as he lifted the teen into a sitting position, shaking him to consciousness and urging him to drink from the glass of water he held to his lips. She kept her hands fisted in her lap, knuckles white with tension.

After the third gulp of water, the older guardian held a basin out to his protégé, as the brunet began to vomit into it. Ten minutes later Noel finally stopped, leaning back and looking like he was ready to pass out again. Caius forced him to stay awake, holding him up, and ordered him to drink more.

"I can't," Noel said faintly, after a few sips. "Any more and I'll throw up again."

"That is the point. If you keep the alcohol in your system, it will continue to poison you while you sleep, and then you will die."

"I think I'd rather die then," the brunet muttered, after another forced drink.

Caius pressed his lips together as he poured more water into his student's mouth. "If you're going to die, it will be by my own hands, and no one else's."

"Well, there's a comforting thought," Noel remarked dryly.

A few gulps later and he was bent over again, trying to eject the alcohol in his system. When he had finished, he tried to lie back down, but once again Caius stopped him.

"Please…no more…" the teen begged.

"Just drink a little bit more. If you don't have to throw up, then I won't force you to."

Left with little choice, the sixteen-year-old complied, and after he drank a quarter of a cup, Caius finally allowed him to lie down and go to sleep. He was unconscious before his head even hit the pillow.

After watching his student rest peacefully for a few moments, he shook his head, placing the cup on the floor beside him and stood up. He picked up the basin, and went to empty it outside, returning a few minutes later.

"Will you be staying here for the night?" He asked the seeress, who hadn't said a word the entire time.

Yeul nodded her head.

"Very well then. When he wakes up, he will likely need to throw up again, so here is this," he placed the basin on the floor beside her. "And once he's done vomiting, he will need to drink to avoid dehydration, so make sure he does that."

The teen nodded her head once more.

Caius glanced at the tense look on her face. "He will be alright, Yeul, you don't need to worry. We found him just in time. If we had been even a few minutes later, he would likely have died. He is very fortunate."

"Thank you, Caius," Yeul called out to him, as he took his leave.

The guardian nodded his head. "I will be back in the morning to see how he is doing. It's best that you get some rest, he will likely be out for the entire night."

With that, the older man took his leave.

Slowly, Yeul uncurled her fists, her fingers hurting from being in such a tight, rigid grip. She let out the breath she'd been holding the entire time Caius had been tending to Noel. Reaching towards the brunet who was passed out, she pushed his bangs aside tenderly, as she felt the fever from earlier had gone down. Her eyes softened as she stroked his forehead. Fortunate indeed.

She ended up falling asleep for a few hours, but was awoken just after dawn to the sounds of someone moaning in pain. She blinked in confusion before quickly realizing what was going on.

"Noel!"

The brunet let out a sigh of pain, head jerking slightly before all at once his eyes snapped open, and he sat up rapidly, a hand pressed to his mouth.

The seeress quickly handed him the basin, as he bent over and emptied whatever was left in his system from the night before. After dry-heaving a couple of times, he finally laid back down, feeling wiped out.

Yeul took the basin and emptied it outside like Caius had the night before. When she came back, Noel was still awake, though looking pale.

"Yeul…"

"Here," she held the glass of water up to his lips, and he drank it down obediently.

"What happened last night?" He asked, once she set the cup aside.

"Don't you remember?"

"I remember some things," Noel held a hand to his forehead. There was a splitting headache forming right behind his eyes. "Like, going to Caius's cellar…and drinking his vodka…but after that, it's pretty blank. The only other thing I remember is him forcing me to drink last night and throwing up because of it."

"You drank a lot of alcohol yesterday, Noel," Yeul said quietly. "So much that you ended up getting drunk and passing out because of it."

"Getting drunk, huh?" Noel tried to smile, but winced at the pain that shot through his forehead. "Well, I guess I know never to do that again."

"Caius said you came close to dying."

"I practically feel dead. Guess if I ever decide to kick the bucket, I'll know the best way to do it, huh?"

"Noel…that is not funny."

He glanced at the seeress, who was looking down, and realized that she must have been worried sick about him. His eyes softened.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Yeul. I didn't mean to scare you. I really don't remember what happened, but I guess I must've done or said some pretty stupid things, huh?"

The thirteen-year-old looked up, a small smile spreading across her lips. "Yes, you did."

There was a pause, before the brunet spoke expectantly. "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what I did?"

The blue-haired girl shook her head.

"Oh, c'mon Yeul!" Noel complained, as he lifted his arms. "If I did something embarrassing, I should at least get to know what it was!"

She chuckled at his reaction, as Noel rubbed the side of his head.

"Well, maybe it's better that I don't know after all." He turned to look at her. "Did you stay here the entire night?"

The seeress nodded her head. "Yes. I wanted to make sure you'll be okay. I'm glad you're safe." She gave him a soft smile, and for a moment Noel's mind seemed to go blank. But alas, his hangover came back with a vengeance and he had to squeeze his eyes shut from the sharp pain.

He flopped back down onto his pillow. "Awww man, I feel like crap!"

"That's because you acted like a piece of crap," a deep voice spoke.

Noel shot up at once. "Caius!" He exclaimed, eyes going wide as the older man entered the room.

"Hmph."

"Listen Caius, whatever happened yesterday, it was all my fault! Yeul had nothing to do with it!"

"Yes, normally my first instinct would be to blame you for everything, but fortunately for you, Yeul has already explained to me the situation, and has absolved you of all responsibility for your deplorable actions."

Noel turned to look at the seeress. "Is that true?"

She nodded. Before the brunet could object to this, the older man continued.

"Therefore, I am going to overlook this incident and the actions that followed only this once. However, since you left Yeul without a capable guardian for several hours, your punishment is to suffer through your hangover. You will not receive any healing spells or potions to alleviate your pain, nor are you allowed to take any medication for it either."

"Come on Caius! I was just about to ask for an aspirin!" Noel lay back down as the pounding in his head increased. "This is way beyond cruel, this is sadistic!"

The older man smirked. "Be that as it may," he continued, as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at his protégé's throat. Noel's eyes snapped open, as he froze in fear, staring up at Caius along the length of his blade. "Should you ever touch my vodka again, or go anywhere _near_ my cellar, I will personally make sure to end your life before even a drop of it makes its way through your system. Do I make myself clear?"

Noel could only nod, still unable to speak, as Caius removed his sword.

"Good. I'm glad to see we understand each other."

With that, he turned around, making his way out of the house.

_End_.

* * *

a/n:

and it's done! See? I said I would have the chapter up quickly. I'm happy with how it turned out. Originally I was afraid that bec. I had Noel almost die from alcohol poisoning, it would take away from the humor of the fic, but I think it turned out okay ^^

no reviews for the last chapter makes me very very sad D: can we at least get some love for this one, now that you all know how it turns out? I mean, I appreciate all you silent readers, it makes me feel like maybe I'm not just one out of a handful of NoelxYeul shippers out there, but stepping forward and leaving a review would really make my day. Like, in a totally hammered kind of happy way. And if I ever met you in RL, I would give you a bottle of vodka as a present. Valhalla grade. Srsly.


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